Pokemon Book I: The Journey Begins
by SigmaFang
Summary: Ever wonder which kid from Pallet Town picked Bulbasaur when Ash started his journey? Well, in this story, he's going to stick around and travel with Ash, together they'll take on the Indigo League. (AU in that it will represent the games a bit more, but also stay faithful to the anime, and everyone is a little older). (M for swearing and heavy backstories).


**A/N:** Hello everyone, since I haven't involved myself in enough fan-bases, let me hop into one more. The Pokémon one. It's the Pokémon cast you all know and love, with an OC added into the mix. I would say that it's an AU because at the base level it's going to act like the anime, but there will be some game mechanics involved as well. (I'll also not bore you with 80-billion filler episodes of the group going to Happy Town, Sleepy Town, etc.) Wherever they go, it will be a _real_ place in Kanto. Thanks for reading in advance, and I hope I'm able to upload this story as much as I can.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon.

* * *

It was early, the sun had barely set. Only people who were overly prepared were going to bed this late.

But Nate was one of those people. At least, tonight he was. He was nestled under the covers, staring at the ceiling. Both his hands crossed behind his head. Things were going to change for him alright. Big time.

He knew which Pokémon he wanted to choose. Bulbasaur, simple as that. Now that he was finally twelve, he would be able to pick Bulbasaur from Professor Oak's lab and finally start his Pokémon journey. He could've started earlier, but, he was enrolled in a Trainer's school for a handful of years. He would claim that he learned a lot from it, but that was debatable, given how unpredictable his family life was.

He couldn't sleep, not at first, anyway. It was barely past eight, and Nate typically went to be at least an hour or so later. That, and the anticipation of finally setting out of the road, kept him up. No matter, all he had to do was wake up and choose Bulbasaur, it wasn't rocket science. No way was he going to wake up and tell his mom that he couldn't sleep and make a fool out of himself.

He know he _didn't_ want Charmander, at all. Squirtle was okay, but there was something he immediately liked about Bulbasaur, like how calm and at peace it was. He liked its easy-going nature.

"Alright Nate…just…go to sleep…" Nate sighed at himself, tossing and turning under the covers in a desperate bid to get some shut eye.

* * *

It was hard to tell what the Trainer was thinking. A Nidorino versus a Gengar was just a poor matchup, there no way the Poison type would win. Of course, the announcer on the television was hyping it up as if there was a fair chance on both sides for there to be a winner.

Sure enough, Nidorino fainted not long after the battle started. The Trainer recalled their Pokémon, opting to instead use an Onix.

"One day I'm gonna be just like them." Ash said, clenching both his fists in excitement, "I'm gonna start my journey and finally become a Pokémon Master!" He cheered, "Pokémon Master—"

"Ash Ketchum!" His mother opened the door, "What are you still doing up? It's past eleven 'o clock at night!"

"I know…" Ash said, "But I can't sleep…I finally get to choose a Pokémon from Professor Oak…"

"Just try to get to bed soon, then. You don't want to be tired tomorrow, of all days."

Ash gave a nod, "Alright, mom." He said, once his mother left, he finally made some sort of attempt to get to bed. But even when he was under the covers, he could hardly think straight.

"Bulbasaur…Charmander…Squirtle…which…which one should I choose?" He asked himself. "Maybe…Bulbasaur…or…Squirtle…no, no, I think I want Charmander…"

* * *

Mornings were cruel like that.

Ash could have sworn that it was eleven at night, or even midnight, the next time he opened his eyes, the sun was out. He rocketed out of bed, looking around. It was strange that he didn't hear the Dodrio give its typical morning calls.

"What the…?" Ash asked, "Oh no…it can't be, I'm late!"

He rushed outside, heading to Professor Oak's lab, still in his pajamas, no less. "Bulbasaur…Charmander…Squirtle…I'll take any of them, please have there be one left!"

Outside the lab, there was a large crowd of, was that cheerleaders? "Gary, Gary, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!" They cheered.

Ash was distracted by the cheer and bumped into someone, landing straight on his rear. He looked up, purple shirt, black eyes, spiked, auburn hair, yes, it was Gary alright, "Watch where you're going, Ash!" He snapped. Only a mother could love a voice as high and nasally as his. Of course, Ash's voice was in prepubescent territory itself, but it still couldn't quite hold a candle to how grating Gary's was.

"Gary…" Ash said, "Is…is there a Pokémon left?"

"Looks like you finally showed up." Gary scoffed, "At least you get to see me this morning. Heh, heh, you snooze you loose. Cause I have a Pokémon and you don't!" He said, twirling a Poke ball on his finger.

With that, his cheerleader's sprang into action once again, "Thank you, thank you all my fans!" Gary said, "Now watch as I depart and finally make a name for Pallet Town!"

"So what kind of Pokémon did you get, Gary?" Ash asked.

"None of your business." He lightly shoved him aside, "If you _showed up_ on time, you would've seen that I picked the best Pokémon ever." He laughed, "It's nice to have a grandfather in the Pokémon business, ain't it, Ash?"

Ash clenched his fists, "Gary…I'll show you one day…"

* * *

"Oh, it looks like you showed up." Professor Oak said, his lab was a mix of machinery and bookshelves, a few technicians mulling about occasionally.

Ash nodded, "Is…is there a Pokémon left for me?" He asked, "I'm ready! Ready to be a Pokémon Master!"

"You look like you're ready for bed…" Oak said.

Ash swallowed hard, "I thought about it for a while, and…and I chose Squirtle!"

Professor Oak shook his head, "That one was already taken by someone who was on time."

"Charmander?"

"I'm afraid not. That one was also taken…"

"Bulbasaur?"

"I think the Trainer who selected Bulbasaur was the earliest one."

He wilted in defeat, "So…does that mean that all the Pokémon are gone?"

"Well…" Professor Oak hesitated, "There is still one left…but—"

"I'll take it! Professor Oak, I'll take anything!"

"Uh…right…" Oak got out a Poke ball with a lightning symbol on it. A brilliant flash of light came out once the Poke ball was opened, and a tiny yellow rodent creature appeared.

"Pikachu." It looked from Professor Oak to Ash.

"Its name is Pikachu." Professor Oak said.

"Aw, it's so cool…hey there Pikachu!" Ash reached out to hug it.

"You…you might want these…" Professor Oak held out a pair of pink rubber gloves.

"Huh?"

Pikachu looked none too pleased by the hug, its red cheeks swelled with electricity, "Pikachu!" It zapped Ash with an amazing burst of lightning.

"Yes…Pikachu is an Electric type Pokémon…so these gloves might help you…" Professor Oak said.

Ash coughed up some soot, "Great…thanks Professor…"

* * *

Professor Oak gave Ash a Pokédex, along with a handful of Poke balls, once Ash got changed and said a few farewells to his mother, he had, more or less started his journey.

Route 1 seemed to be a calm, almost scenic place. An open field with some tall grass, of course, no one knew how the twelve year old was lugging his Pikachu around, quite literally. He was armed with pink gloves Oak had given him, and was dragging Pikachu on what looked like a leash.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu tried to pull the other way.

"Come on Pikachu…" Ash said, "Why won't you just go in your Poke ball? Pokémon are supposed to go in their Poke balls…"

"Pi." Pikachu looked away.

Ash frowned, tossing its Poke ball at him.

"Pi." Pikachu bopped the ball with its head and it went back into Ash's hand.

"Come on, Pikachu…" Ash tried a few more times, by the results were the same, Pikachu refused to go back inside the Poke ball. Ash gave a long, defeated sigh, "So…your name is the only thing you can say…huh?" He said, bending over and taking the thin leash off, as well as his gloves, "Look, I'll let you go, alright…but, we should work together, okay?" He held his arms out for a hug.

"Pikachu." Pikachu ran off, climbing a nearby tree and standing on one of the branches.

"Come on, Pikachu!" Ash held a fist up, "Maybe the Pokédex will say something…" He flicked his red Pokédex open.

"Pikachu, the mouse Pokémon, it has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it lets out electric charges from the sacs." The Pokédex said.

"Aw…I knew that already…" Ash said. Then his attention was turned to a small little bird, with a primarily brown color scheme, other than the tan underside. "Ha, a Pidgey!" He held his Pokédex out.

"Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokémon, it does not like to fight. It hides in tall grass and so on, foraging for food such as small bugs."

"Hmm…doesn't like to fight, huh?" Ash got a Poke ball out, "Then maybe I won't have to battle it, I could just catch it!" He threw the Poke ball at the Pidgey, "As part of being a Pokémon Master, I have to capture you!"

The Poke ball clonked on the Pidgey's head, capturing it within a glowing red light. The Poke ball clasped shut after that. "Ha, I did it!" Ash cheered.

The Poke ball shook around for a bit, then it popped back open in rejection, and the Pidgey ran off.

"Aw man…" Ash said. Pikachu started laughing from where he was in the trees. "Jeez…I need to _fight_ the Pokémon to make it easier for capture…" He glared up at Pikachu, "But I guess without you…I have to do everything by myself!" He declared.

It was then Ash came up with the brilliant notion of sneaking up on the Pokémon in order to catch them. He tiptoed slowly to the nearest Pidgey, then he leapt out and tackled it, "Sorry, but I have to do this!" The Pidgey squirmed and chirped under him, but Ash was intent on capturing _one_ new Pokémon today. Maybe one that would listen to him, too.

Eventually the Pidgey had enough of that, it flapped its wings once it had a bit of space, and created a huge gust of wind. Ash screamed as the miniature tornado blew him back a good amount of feet away. He crashed on his bum.

Evidently, Pikachu was having a field day at watching this, given how much he was laughing.

Ash brushed it off, "I need more information on Pidgey…" He looked at the Pokédex.

"A common sight in forests and woods. It flaps its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand." The Pokédex said.

"Wait, sand?" Ash asked, no sooner did said Pidgey whip up a Sand Attack of paramount levels. Ash coughed and fell over once again, as Pikachu laughed and laughed.

Ash looked around, trying to find a new target to catch, he eventually found one in a purple rat nearby, he opened up the Pokédex and pointed it at the creature.

"Rattata, the mouse Pokémon, its fangs are long and very sharp. They grow continuously, so it gnaws on hard things to whittle them down."

"Alright, you're mine, Rattata…" He dove in for another tackle, but the Rattata backed away, not before giving him a chomp first.

"Ow!" Ash bit back a curse, as Pikachu laughed from the tree again. Ash seethed with rage. Was this going to be his Pokémon journey, constantly flailing about, having a partner Pokémon that didn't even get along with him?

He picked up a rock, seeing a silhouette of a Pidgey in the distance. He growled and tossed the rock, it cracked the Pidgey's head.

Only it wasn't a Pidgey. This bird Pokémon turned around and glared up at Ash, a bruise on its feathery head. Unlike Pidgey, this bird was a dark brown, with hints of red in its coloring. It's blood shot eyes shrunk with rage as the rock made contact with his head, "Spearow!" He shrieked.

"What…what is that?" Ash held his Pokédex out.

"Spearow, the tiny bird Pokémon, it eats bugs in grassy areas. It has to flap its short wings at high speed to stay airborne."

"Huh…" Ash said, but he had little time to react, as the Spearow dove for him. Ash gasped and barely ducked, but the Spearow wouldn't give up after that. It dove for him again and again, with a vengeance. It kept trying to slice through either Ash or Pikachu.

Pikachu was eventually hit, flying straight off the tree. "Pikachu!" Pikachu loosed a bolt of electricity, flattening the Spearow in its tracks, as it fell over.

This was short lived, evidently, as the tiny, yet ferocious Spearow got up. It started cawing its name repeatedly. At first Ash just expected another attack from it, but, once a surrounding flock of Spearow flew out from the nearby bushes and trees.

"Aw…god…" Ash swallowed hard, he and Pikachu exchanged a glance, "Should we run?"

Pikachu nodded, "Pikachu…"

Ash and Pikachu ran for their lives, being hunted down by the swarm of Spearow. All other wild Pokémon in the area fled the path as they were wise enough not to be crossed by the Spearow in the midst of their chase.

"Don't…don't worry, Pikachu…" Ash panted, "I'll…I'll protect you." He said, letting Pikachu take somewhat of a lead over him. This proved to be futile, however, as the pack of Spearow began attacking Ash, vigorously pecking him. "Ow…" He shielded himself from their beaks, only to find that a few of the Spearow flew ahead and started attacking Pikachu, "Pikachu, no!"

He dove for Pikachu, scooping him up and continuing his mad dash away from the Spearow. Pikachu was covered in little cuts and bruises, the poor thing giving little cries every once and a while. Ash growled as the Spearow continued their chase, "Leave Pikachu alone! I threw the rock, not him!" He insisted, still blindly following his path, until he bumped into someone by the river.

"Ow, hey, watch where you're going!" She snapped. Her orange hair was short and had a ponytail to the side, and her green eyes pierced into him, she looked a year or two older than him. Her gaze finally softened, "A Pokémon?" She asked, "Are…are you okay?"

"Uh…" Ash blinked, still taking in the rest of her outfit. Her yellow tank top had two red suspenders over it, said tank top showing her midriff, her denim shorts and red sneakers also caught his attention, "Yeah…yeah, I'm fine."

"Not you." She backhanded him, "I meant your Pokémon. What did you do to it?" She asked, then she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Never mind that, you need to get it some help. There's a Pokémon Center nearby here."

Ash regrouped himself, feeling his red cheek, "Pokémon Center?"

"Uh-huh, it's like a hospital for Pokémon." She explained.

"And where is it, now?"

"That way." She pointed, "You can't miss it."

They heard the sound of flapping wings, both of them turning to see the flock of Spearow return, still ticked off. "Ah!" Ash screamed, "They're back with a vengeance!" He looked around, the redhead had a fishing pole, currently unattended, and a bright orange bike. He hopped on her bike.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The girl frowned.

"I'm borrowing this." Ash said, setting Pikachu in the little basket.

"Hey, that's my bike!" She shouted as he started pedaling away.

"I'll give it back, someday!" Ash promised, riding off into the distance, leaving the girl to mutter angrily at herself for a few moments.

Ash get going as far as he could, not caring about the burning feeling in his legs. He was the one who got Pikachu in this mess, and he wasn't going to abandon him now. He felt a chill or two, the Spearow were still howling with rage behind him, he just hoped the bike could out speed them. A slight rain began to pick up as well, Ash and Pikachu were hit by tiny droplets every once and a while.

Just then, Ash's orange bike collided with a green one, and both riders were ejected from their seats.

"Whoa there…" Nate said, brushing himself off, getting up slowly, "You in a rush or something?"

Ash looked up at the other kid, a Bulbasaur perched on his shoulder. They had their fair share of similarities and contrasts. Both of them had black hair that could be seen under their hats. While Ash wore a red and white cap, Nate wore a white skull cap. Ash's eyes were a light brown, almost amber, while Nate's were a deep blue. While the color scheme of Ash's clothes were blue and white, Nate's were green and black.

"Wait a second…" Ash said, "Are…are you the one who chose Bulbasaur?"

Nate nodded, "That's right." He said. His voice was high-pitched with a graze to it, not _too_ far off from Ash's, though Nate's was a hair deeper, and with a bit more command behind it. He peered into the basket, where Pikachu was laying, "Which Pokémon did you chose? I don't recognize it…"

Ash looked back, "I don't have time to talk now!" He reached over and pulled his bike back up, hopping on and riding off, "I gotta go!"

"Hey, wait up!" Nate called, mounting his green bike and riding after Ash. He looked back as both of them pedaled side by side. "What are you running away from, anyway?" He asked.

"Some Spearow." Ash said, "I…uh…got mad and threw a rock at one…"

Nate looked back, his eyes shrunk, it had to have been at least _twenty_ Spearow, if not more. He swallowed hard. He tried to come up with some kind of plan, he didn't expect the first day of his journey to get tangled up in something like _this_.

It was full on pouring now, with thunder clouds booming in the distance. The Spearow caught a bit quicker than the pair had hoped, starting to peck Ash, Pikachu, Nate, and Bulbasaur. "Hey, get off!" Nate snapped, swatting at them. Ash did the same, but it wasn't really helping much.

"Aw, crap…" Nate said, "Cliff…"

"What?" Ash asked.

"I said—!"

They both fell down a rather steep drop, their bikes crashed to the side and the two Trainers and their Pokémon tumbled to the ground. Nate and Ash weakly got up, looking at the Spearow who were flying overhead.

"Screw this…" Nate snarled, "I'm gonna fight 'em."

Ash looked taken aback, he gave him an unsure look, "Are…are you sure you can take them?"

"Bulbasaur." Nate said, and Bulbasaur faithfully stood in front of his Trainer, "When they get down low enough, I want you to use Tackle."

Ash swallowed hard, "I don't think this a good idea…it's like…twenty to one…"

"I'm not running away from these guys, I'm going to fight!" Nate said, "Now, Bulbasaur!"

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur said, running in and tackling the nearest Spearow. It was felled, but only for about a moment, before it took flight once more.

"Is…is it actually working?" Ash asked.

"No way to tell for sure yet…I mean, I always thought Flying types had the advantage over Grass—"

Bulbasaur fainted.

Nate screamed, "No! Bulbasaur!" He ran forth and scooped up his fallen friend, being assaulted by Spearow on the way there. Bulbasaur looked just as banged up, if not more so, than Pikachu did.

"Bulba…saur…" Bulbasaur said weakly, as Nate set him down next to Pikachu.

"Pika…chu…" Pikachu said.

Nate swallowed hard, tears of fear in his eyes, he was crouched by Bulbasaur, while Ash stood tall, "Damn it, what the hell do we do?"

Ash looked back, also tearing up when he saw the state Pikachu was in, "It…it can't end like this…"

"Oh, it will…" Nate sniffed, "Death by Spearow…"

"Pikachu, I _will_ protect you." Ash said, looking at the flock of Spearow, "You hear that? I am Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town, I'm going to be a Pokémon Master, and I won't be beaten by you! I will defeat every single one of you!" Lightning flashed around a few times, "Come and get me!"

Nate cowered in fear, holding Bulbasaur close. Lightning kept crashing around them, as the Spearow flew in to finish them all off.

Pikachu looked up, not nearly as scared as Nate or Bulbasaur. No, if there was an expression on Pikachu's face, it would most certainly be categorized under hope. Pikachu leapt towards his new owner's side, then he took a big jump in the air, being hit by a huge bolt of lightning from the storm.

"Pikachu!" Instead of hurting the tiny mouse, the lightning bolt seemed to power it up. Pikachu unleashed a bolt of lightning which caused a bright light, blinding nearly everyone in the field.

When the light dissipated, all the Spearow were gone, the storm was too. Nate was still cowering with his eyes, Bulbasaur in his lap, wondering when the carnage would be over.

Ash smiled as he stood up, Pikachu in his arms, "Well, we beat 'em." He smiled at Pikachu, as a rainbow began to break out through the clouds.

A bird's caw could be heard. Ash flinched, at first fearing it was yet another Spearow, but then he looked up to see a golden bird, with a rainbow flowing from its tail feathers. "Whoa…" He said, "What's that?" He got the Pokédex out.

"No available data…" The Pokédex said, "There are still Pokémon being discovered to this very day…"

"Wait a second…" Nate said, as Ash began to walk ahead.

"Hmm?" Ash looked back.

"Ash Ketchum, right?" Nate smirked, gently letting Bulbasaur stand on his shoulder as he began to stand tall. "Why don't we head out to face our journey together?"

"You want to come with me?"

"Yeah, why not? That was pretty fun." Nate laughed, folding his bike up and stuffing it in his green backpack. Unlike Nate's bike, Ash's borrowed bike didn't fare too well, and was charred and destroyed.

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Nate Rinderno." Nate held a hand out, "Nice to meet ya, pal."

Ash smiled and shook his hand.

"Pikachu!"

"Bulbasaur!" Their Pokémon took this chance to introduce themselves as well.

* * *

 **A/N:** And thus, the two Trainers from Pallet head off to their journey. I know, this one was similar to the first episode in many ways but it's probably going to change a bit from here on out. Thanks for reading!


End file.
